The Labor enquirer., 1887-08-06

ment must do in, order to establish an
equitable monetary system viii beto ap-
point experts to determine the spproxi-
mate amount of labor value contained in
theimeans of production, transportation
and communication, i.e, factories,
machinery, railroads, telegraph lines, i'm
provements on the land, etc., etc., and pay
for them in labor-money representing
dollar for dollar" the amount of value
estimated to be contained therein. This
would certainly not be "con6scation" and
would therefore not need to cause the
slightest disturbance. Then, as the gov
ernment could not very well assume to
conductall the productive activity of, the
people, 1t would much more wisely entrua
to the workers engaged in the various
branches of industry, the machinery and
implements belonging to that industry
together with the necessary material to
work upon, for use, the government re-
ceiving the finished product and paying
therefor the exact sum of labor-money
which statistics would show it to be worth
in average necessary labor-time. On
presentation of sum of labor-money or
certificates for value delivered" the gov
ernment, or any other agency in posses
sion thereof, would readily provide any
article representing an equal amount Of
average necessary labor-time.
If, then, in addition, land titles had been
declared void, ercept for use, when the I'M
provements had been paid for by the gov
ernment, las in reason they should be),
there would be absolutely no room left for
parasite to fasten himself on the body
social to extract and absorb the substance
of the peoples industrial product in the
shape of rent, interest or profit; nor
would there be any excuse or possibility
for the existence of a beggar or tramp.
Thieves would be no more, for the incen-
tive to steal would be gone and with it the
possibility to steal. Morality would have
a firm foundation of justice, and prosti-
tutes and gamblers would be known only
as tradition and history would describe
them. And the drunkard-how could a
people who are all staunch in their morals
and sound in their physical constitution
give way easily to their appetites-appe-
tites which, no longer diseased, would no
more present such an abnormal craving,
would have lost their terrible power over
the unfortunate drink victims-the drunk
ard, rest assured, would go with the pros
titute and the gambler.
II would all come about because we
would have fiat money-genuine fat
money, and the labor-time system of in
dustry which would serve as its basis
that would be Socialism. Come, ye fat
money men, be Socialists!
will yet add that the workers in each
branch of industry would necessarily need
a democratic organization to conduct
production, the superintendents, directors,
experts, etc, would be elected and would
perform such functions while they did so
to the satisfaction of those who elected
them. Whenever they ceased to work sat
isfactorily they would be recalled and
Others substituted. The general value of
an hour or days labor in given indus
try would be determined by the vital sta
tistician; the special value of the various
degrees of skill in the same industry
would be determined by the experts se-
lected for that purpose by the organized
workers of that industry.
Thus justice and equity would be Sc
cured, and at the same time an emulation
furnished which would induce all to ac-
quire the greatest possible perfection.
A. C. GRAUL.